


Life is Never Easy, Especially When Voldemort Wants You to Kill Someone

by ladyroxanne21



Series: Life is Never Easy [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dubious Consent, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Lust Potion/Spell, M/M, Mpreg, Potion equivalent of a roofie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 17:02:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7516204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyroxanne21/pseuds/ladyroxanne21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On his way to the hospital wing, Draco runs into Potter - who was carrying a potion to the hospital wing to be disposed of. During the collision, the potion covers both of them, and then lust takes over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life is Never Easy, Especially When Voldemort Wants You to Kill Someone

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rewrite of the first part of this series. I changed it so that Draco got pregnant instead of Harry, so it reads very similar until they leave Hogwarts and theirs paths diverge. The good news is that this one ends very close to HEA :-)

Most of the time, Draco would be too smart to do such a thing. Hell! Even right now, he wanted to deny that he'd been stupid, but no. It was sadly true that Draco had just made what could be a grave mistake.

He knew it almost immediately when he ate the treacle tart. You see, due to various reasons – most of which involved Slytherins being Slytherins – Draco knew better. He frickin' _knew_ better than to eat anything he didn't _know_ for a fact came from the kitchens or some other safe source. However, when he came across the treacle tart just sitting there on the table in the Slytherin common room, Draco ate it.

His first thought was that he should feel smug for eating someone else's snack. His second thought was that Blaise or Pansy probably left it there for some unsuspecting schmuck. Then he remembered that not even  _they_ would overtly try to kill anyone. However, the unsettled feeling wouldn't leave him.

It was then that he  _knew_ that he had just made a serious mistake. Worse! He was in his sixth year of attendance at a  _magical school_ where pranks were more common than trips to the loo!  _How in the world had he fallen into such an obvious trap?!_

Draco – having come back to the common room when everyone else was still eating dinner so that he could brood in private – decided that he would just have to go to the hospital wing to make sure that he wasn't poisoned. He didn't  _feel_ poisoned, but he did feel... odd... His stomach felt like he had a small balloon down in his lower abdomen that was slowly swelling up.

With a curse muttered under his breath, Draco tossed everything he didn't want to carry around onto his bed, went back through the common room, exited the Slytherin dungeon, and then headed in the direction of the hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey. Not too far into his journey, he heard other students headed his way and ducked into an empty hallway to avoid them. It's not like Draco was doing anything wrong, but no matter  _who_ came across him, the news that Draco needed to figure out what was wrong with him after eating an unknown treacle tart – well, it was embarrassing enough to want to keep quiet. No one would just let him go without pestering him for details or making fun of him.

When the way was clear, Draco quietly sprinted, wishing that he knew a spell to turn him invisible and go undercover. Turning a corner, he slammed into something unexpected and went sprawling on the floor. As he lay on his back looking up at the ceiling, he sneezed a few times in an attempt to clear the strange scent from his nose.

“Buggering hell!” Potter blurted out in horror. “Do you have any idea what you just did, you git?!”

Draco sat up to look at him, and that was when he noticed that both of them were covered in a viscous pink liquid that smelled overwhelming. “Er... What potion is this?”

Potter sighed, pressing his right hand to his forehead. “We have to get to the infirmary as quickly as possible.”

“Obviously I was headed there anyway, you incompetent half wit,” Draco stated with a sneer. “But, erm, why?”

“Because Ron is a prefect and he just confiscated a potion from a student that is literally intended to make the person taking it not only eager to have sex with the person who gave it to them, but the person taking it won't remember it after the fact,” Potter explained as calmly as possible, slowly shifting so that he could get to his feet. “I was taking it to Madam Pomfrey to have it destroyed, and now it's all over us.”

“That's horrifying!” Draco cried out in revulsion. His logical mind immediately figured out exactly what was happening – or rather, would happen if they weren't quick.

Potter rolled his eyes. “Of course it is!” He then looked at the slime all over him. “Hopefully since we didn't drink it, it won't affect us. Especially if we get to Madam Pomfrey right away.”

Draco sort of leapt to his feet at that. “Right!” He then stupidly held out a hand to help Potter up, which he took simply to save time.

The moment both were on their feet, they stared at their joined hands in horror. A tingly feeling was radiating up their arms to their necks, and then throughout the rest of their bodies. Draco was actually a bit fascinated by it, but he could see a look of terror cross Potter's eyes. Draco hastily dropped his hand.

“Hospital wing,” Harry stated firmly.

“Right!” Draco fervently agreed.

They both took off sprinting, making it a sort of competition, but somewhere along the line, the competition ended and Draco grabbed Harry's hand to fling him into an empty classroom. Harry was panting heavily, and it had nothing to do with running. Draco seemed to be torn between the effects of the potion and the last little bit of sanity he had.

“Hos... hosp...” he tried to remind himself, only to pull out his wand and cast spells to lock the door and ward against being discovered – including a silencing spell.

Draco felt stranger than he ever had in his life. On the one hand, he could feel the physical effects of the potion; the tingling, the heat, the pleasant little shivers. On the other hand, it felt like the part of him that was his conscious – that  _knew_ better than to stay here; that  _knew_ he needed to get to the infirmary – that part was like a little observer in the corner of his mind. That part was actually really very curious.

_This is going to happen, isn't it?_ Draco thought. That rational observer had already put two and two together. He had been splashed with a date rape potion, and now he was alone in a locked classroom with Harry Potter of all people. 

Draco was doing a rather impressive job of fighting the potion – not such a good job that he unlocked the door and ran away, but enough that he was currently not looking at Harry and was standing far enough away that he couldn't just reach out and grab Harry. It was obvious for anyone to see that they were both shaking from sheer  _need_ . 

Running his hands distractedly through his hair, it seemed to Draco that Harry thought:  _fuck it!_ Then he crossed the distance between them and pushed Draco up against the wall. Their mouths came together in a hot explosion that felt like fireworks. Draco grunted breathlessly in surprise and passion before licking Harry's lips until they opened for him.

Their tongues fought a mini battle that quickly urged them on. Another effect of the potion was that it felt positively sweltering in the room – even though it was actually a bit frigid. So, they tore at their clothes, trying to strip as quickly as possible. This was hindered by the snogging they simply refuse to stop. It was like they would die if their lips weren't in contact with each other.

Until suddenly, there seemed to be a lack of air that forced them apart. Draco gasped, sucking in oxygen as he panted heavier than ever. “Oh Gods! You have no idea...”

Harry also needed air, but he felt like he was going to start crying if he didn't maintain contact, so he shifted his mouth to Draco's neck. Those kisses and licks made Draco shiver uncontrollably. When Harry clamped on and sucked Draco's neck, he gasped again. “No idea how long...”

Harry's hands were everywhere! That observer in the back of Draco's mind noticed that they had managed to strip completely naked by this point. If Draco's baser nature wasn't so busy enjoying the fact that Harry was leaving a trail of dark bruises up and down his neck, he probably would have pushed Harry onto his back by now.

Harry seemed to try to slow down and think for a moment, but then he sank his teeth into Draco's neck hard enough to nearly draw blood. “Mine!” Harry growled before hissing something repeatedly in Parseltongue.

Draco shivered again, feeling like the hissing sent electricity through his body. “You have no idea how hot that is!”

This actually did make Harry pull back so that he could look Draco in the eyes. “What? This?” Harry hissed in Parseltongue again.

“Yes!” Draco gasped, completely overcome by desire. “It's a shame that we're probably not going to remember any of this.”

“We're not?!” Harry exclaimed in disappointment.

“I'm pretty sure we're both being effected as if we'd drank the potion,” Draco pointed out. 

He wasn't sure why, but he seemed to be slightly clearer headed than Harry. Maybe Harry had gotten more potion on him. In any case, Draco was still clearly under the influence. No matter how many times the rational part of his mind reminded him that this was wrong, he just couldn't stop himself.

Draco was tired of waiting for Harry to make the next move, and impatiently pushed him onto the pile of their clothes. “You're going to suck me!”

Harry sat up, strangely amused. He cast Draco a grin of pure challenge. “Oh am I?”

“Yes,” Draco confirmed, grabbing Harry's hair to hold him steady. His other hand forced a few fingers into Harry's mouth and pried it open.

Harry considered biting Draco, but maybe the potion was overpowering him, or maybe Harry was just that curious, either way, he opened his mouth and held still while Draco inserted his rock hard shaft. Draco then rocked his hips in a way that forced Harry to give a blowjob, but was just careful enough not to choke him.

“That's right; suck it! Use your tongue!” Draco commanded, calling out instructions that made Harry shiver as if in bliss. Harry tried to comply, but now that Draco's other hand was holding the back of his neck – the first one still in his hair – Harry had no real choice but to hold still and take it.

“Oh Gods! That mouth!” Draco cried out after many long and glorious minutes, throwing his head back. Harry smirked and took the opportunity to grab his wand from the pile of clothes under them and cast a light tripping jinx. Suddenly, Draco found himself on his back.

“Should I do the same to you?” Harry purred in a clear challenge. He then grabbed Draco's hair.

“A Malfoy does not suck anyone!” Draco growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

“I'll take that as a yes,” Harry stated with a smirk. He then cast a body binding curse so that Draco couldn't fight him off.

“I'll kill you for this!” Draco warned as Harry used his fingers to pry open Draco's mouth.

“You're the one who said that we wouldn't remember this,” Harry reminded him with a careless shrug. He then switched to speaking in Parseltongue.

Draco couldn't move because of the curse, but if he could, he would be shuddering from being so damn turned on. “Are you going to just kneel there all day, Potter? If you're going to do it,  _do it!_ ” He cried out impatiently.

With another mischievous smirk, Harry yanked Draco to a sitting position, and then slowly slid his shaft into Draco's mouth. Close to five minutes later, Draco realized what he was actually doing. That he was completely  _free_ and not being forced in anyway. He pulled back abruptly to stare at his hands on Harry's shaft, and then flushed when he realized that he had been blowing Harry of his own volition.

“That was a dirty trick worthy of a Slytherin!” Draco exclaimed in shock. More than half of him was impressed.

Harry laughed softly, pushing Draco onto his back again and laying completely on top of him. They resumed their fierce snogging, this time rubbing their hard shafts together in a grinding way that was actually not very pleasant. Draco waved his hand impatiently, and suddenly lube materialized between them, coating their shafts and turning their grinding into pure heaven.

The moment Draco felt that the end was near, he pushed Harry away. Then he grabbed his wand and cast a spell that forced Harry to his knees with his arms bound behind his back. After that, Draco decided to yank on Harry's hair until his face was pressed to the cold floor.

Draco knelt behind Harry and pushed his legs apart. He then conjured oil and rubbed it on Harry's anus for lubrication as he slid the tip of his shaft up and down. Harry gasped in realization.

“Malfoy! Wait!”

Draco wasn't inclined to wait, but he also hadn't actually pressed into Harry yet. He simply continued what he was doing for a few extra seconds.

“I've never done anything like this before,” Harry cried out quickly. He was still clearly under the influence of the potion and probably at least 80 percent curious to find out what would happen next. Something in his voice made Draco think that he was also scared that it would hurt.

This actually did make Draco pause for a moment. He had a little experience and could easily understand how bad it could be for a first time if things weren't done to make it easier. The real problem was that the potion wanted him to  _do it now!_

Realizing that Draco was hesitating, Harry continued. “I'm not saying no, I'm just scared – and you have to realize how hard it is for me to admit that to  _you_ of all people. Please just... just don't hurt me...”

Draco took a deep breath so that he could calm down just enough to cast a few spells to prepare Harry. They were spells that he had learned from other Slytherins at some point and would ease the way. They cleaned Harry out and opened and softened him to minimize pain.

“Thank you,” Harry whispered before taking a deep breath and bracing himself for what was going to happen next.

Draco tried to enter Harry slowly and give him all the time he needed to adjust, but Draco was starting to see red – not an angry red, but a hazy, lusty red. He went a little faster than he should have, but Harry simply gasped and took it without complaint.

Harry moaned when Draco was buried deep. The entrance had been a bit painful, but now that Draco was in, Harry rather liked the feel. The only thing that really bothered him was the way his face was pressed into the floor, making his neck ache, and actually, his shoulders ached a bit from having his hands behind his back.

When Draco moved, the whole world felt like it was spinning out of control. He felt punched by pleasure and never wanted it to end. He leaned over to scratch Harry's back roughly a few times in an attempt to delay the inevitable.

“Oh God!” Harry cried out in astonishment. The feel of a hard shaft pounding into him was possibly the best thing he had ever felt in his life! He would not be surprised if his Patronus materialized right next to him!

Maybe the most surprising thing to Draco was that Harry had no stimulation to his shaft, but he seemed to be getting really close anyway. Not to mention, Draco suddenly had the stamina to pound into Harry for what felt like eons!

Just when Harry was squealing in a way that sounded positively sinful, Draco slammed into him with a particularly hard thrust, and then roared softly in triumph. Draco felt shaken to his very core by orgasmic bliss!

Draco slumped over Harry and panted until he caught his breath. Then he chuckled lightly with a lusty smirk. “If this potion lasts long enough, I'm definitely doing that again.”

A moment later, Draco sort of collapsed to the side, knocking Harry onto his side too. This gave Harry an opportunity to grab his wand, end the binding spell, and then catch Draco off guard. Draco gasped and then muttered a colorful curse at himself for letting Harry bind his hands.

Draco was now flat on his back with his hands magically held together and to the floor. “I can still kick you, and I will if you try anything! I do  _not_ bottom!” He warned with a glare.

“You did me,” Harry reminded him before pinching one of Draco's nipples. He then stroked his hand from Draco's throat down to just above his groin several times. Harry's mouth kissed and licked Draco's chest while his hand eventually petted the hair just above Draco's spent shaft.

Draco moaned and squirmed from the delightful pings running all over his body. He was torn between protesting and wanting to know what Harry planned to do next. When his blood felt like it was rushing through his body like a herd of Thestrals in flight, Draco made a noise that was a cross between a groan and a whine.

“By Merlin and Salazar! I _swear_ that if you don't get on with it _this instant,_ I'm going to hex you into oblivion!” 

Harry chuckled. “I thought you were going to kick me if I tried anything.”

“Oh I'm still going to kick you, but what you're doing is driving me mad! I know that telling you to stop will do no good, so that just leaves telling you to do it. That way, you'll move into range and I can _actually_ kick you,” Draco explained overly patiently, as if to a dim-witted child.

“I only know a spell to conjure oil for lubrication,” Harry informed him. “The reason I haven't moved on yet is because I'm not sure what else I would need to do to prepare you.” Harry then looked away. “And I'm not sure if the potion is wearing off a bit or what, but half of me is crying out in pain because I am not inside you. The other half is terrified of hurting you.”

Draco was silent as he thought this over.  _I'm not going to remember any of this anyway, so..._ Then he sighed and admitted to himself – in his head – that he wanted this. “There are spells you can use.”

Harry was hugely relieved when Draco told him the spells. He practiced casting them in the air a couple of times before casting them on Draco. “Did I do it right?”

“Barely,” Draco sneered, unable to let himself sound eager, even though he was. It was probably obvious to Harry that he had sexual experience, but not with bottoming. He liked to be the top, but he also found it extremely hot that Harry had him bound and slightly helpless.

Harry wasted no time getting into position and entering Draco. The potion made his blood practically sing in his veins. He felt like a haze came over him making him want to have sex for the rest of his life if possible.

“Yes,” Harry hissed in English, then lapsed into Parseltongue again.

“Gods! I wish I knew what you were saying!” Draco cried out, shivering because the strange language seemed to have a powerful effect on him. It was so powerful that he was completely distracted from the rushed and unskilled way that Harry was shoving himself into Draco.

Harry growled something in Parseltongue. He was now buried deep inside Draco and Draco wrapped his legs wrapped around Harry's waist. It felt so much better than Draco had ever imagined it would.

Then Harry stopped completely for a moment to bite Draco's shoulder hard enough to make Draco hiss from the strangely erotic pain. It would leave a mark – and probably a dark bruise – but didn't draw blood. Then Harry bit Draco's neck, followed by Draco's lower lip. This was also hard enough to leave a bruise and also drew just a little blood. Enough that Harry spent about a minute sucking and licking up the tiny drops of blood.

“As much as I am rather astonishingly enjoying this, if you don't move soon, Potter, I'm going to kick you out of me!” Draco threatened with a growl. He moved his legs which were around Harry's waist in a way that proved he could actually evict Harry if he wanted to.

Harry slid back in deep. “I'll move,” he promised, before doing exactly that. He readjusted Draco's legs so that they weren't holding him so close, and then gripped Draco's hips as he tried to maintain a moderate pace that felt glorious.

Harry's fingers dug into Draco's hips hard enough to probably leave bruises as he just kept going faster and faster. Actually, it might have been harder rather than faster, because even Draco was starting to feel like it was a bit violent, but not in a bad way. To his delight, Harry didn't stop. Draco desperately  _longed_ for Harry to bruise and bite and  _own_ every inch of Draco's body.

Draco was writhing under Harry, making noises that clearly announced that he was thoroughly enjoying what was happening. In fact, the rougher Harry was, the more Draco just loved it. When Draco whimpered a softly mewling sound at a particularly hard thrust, Harry lost it. The whole world felt like it was spinning again as Harry pumped Draco full.

Harry collapsed onto Draco, panting until he could catch his breath. Then he seemed to drift in a hazy, floaty state until Draco growled.

“Release my hands, Potter! They're starting to hurt.”

Harry patted around absently until he located where his wand had been placed, and then silently cast a Finite before dropping his wand again. He then snuggled into Draco. Draco took a moment to rub his wrists, then realized that he was being used as a pillow. He pushed Harry off him.

Harry lay on his back and looked up at the ceiling. A soft snort escaped him. “This sucks! I'm not even going to remember my first time... or my second...” Which referred to the fact that Draco had taken one virginity and then Harry had lost his other to Draco.

“Really?” Draco asked with deep interest. “You were a virgin? Then where did you learn the kinky biting thing?”

“No idea!” Harry exclaimed with a shake of his head and a shrug.

Draco rolled onto his side and looked intently at Harry. “As I said, if the potion lasted long enough, I was going to do you again, and so you're not going to remember your third time either.”

Harry was silent for a long moment, and then his lips formed a tiny smile. “Or my fourth, I suspect.”

Draco grinned in a way that was very reminiscent of the big bad wolf. A moment later, he was on top of Harry, licking and nipping Harry's neck. Harry had gotten him hard again during their hot sex, and now Draco was ready to take care of the situation.

And Harry thought Draco had stamina the first time! The good thing was that with no binding spells and the two of them facing each other, Harry could focus on snogging Draco as Draco focused on his thrusting. It was thoroughly satisfying in a way that couldn't  _all_ be the result of the potion. Draco sincerely hoped, although he'd had sex enough to know that this was definitely different.

By the time that Draco was done, Harry was ready to go again. So he did, but first, he flipped Draco over. It seemed only fair to have Draco on his hands and knees since Draco had taken Harry's virginity with his face pressed to the floor.

When they were done, Draco cursed in frustration. “The potion is still crying out for more, but I'm pretty sure I can't!”

“Same here,” Harry admitted. “But at least I feel like I can get up and do something else. Well, actually, by that, I mean that I might be able to crawl back to Gryffindor tower and go to bed.”

“We probably should leave this room while we can still think before the potion takes over again and makes us attack each other,” Draco suggested.

“Hey Malfoy, we're not going to remember any of this anyway, right?” Harry asked.

“Not unless the potion was brewed wrong, but I doubt that because it has worked perfectly so far,” Draco reasoned. Then frowned curiously. “Why?”

Harry got to his hands and knees, and then shifted to straddle Draco's lap. After that, he pulled Draco up into a mostly sitting position with Draco supporting himself with his arms. Lastly, Harry kissed Draco; a soft yet passionate kiss that left them both breathless. Draco's arms eventually wound around Harry's body, holding him tight. Their snogging got very heavy, until Draco pushed Harry away. 

“Stop!” Draco cried out. “If we keep this up, I'm not going to be able to ignore the potion and walk away.”

“Sorry,” Harry murmured. “I just wanted to do that while still under the influence so that this ended in a good way, rather than coldly going back to our dorms without even a goodbye.”

Draco raised one eyebrow, tempted to roll his eyes. “You're acting like a girl!” Then he sighed, feeling just a bit of unexpected sympathy. “But I suppose that it's not too unreasonable for you to expect some tenderness since it was your first time.”

“What about you?” Harry asked curiously.

“No,” Draco stated with an unapologetic shrug. “Slytherins tend to mess around for stress relief. It doesn't mean anything to any of us, so we practice whatever we want when we need a break from studying.”

“Oh,” Harry murmured, sounding a little disappointed. “I wish it was like that in Gryffindor tower. I'm might not have been a virgin then.”

Draco gently pushed Harry off his lap since letting him stay there was rapidly erasing his resolve to go to bed and sleep off the rest of the potion. He quickly pulled on his robe, buttoned it up, and then shrank the rest of his clothes so they'd fit in his pocket. Something in Harry's expression made him feel soft and fluffy.

“If it's any consolation, I have never bottomed before,” Draco informed Harry, who was just sitting there watching him. “So you took a virginity of mine. Twice,” Draco added with an amused smirk. “And I'm also not going to remember that, but there will be plenty of evidence to make me wonder what happened.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, that actually does make me feel a little better.” He then got up and copied Draco's actions by only pulling on his robe and shrinking everything else. “It's weird, I know I still hate you, but at this moment, all I can think about is throwing you up against the wall again, snogging you senseless, and then shagging you until we pass out.”

Draco huffed a laugh. “That would be the potion. Don't worry, the next time we see each other, we'll be back to normal and will probably try to kill one another.”

“Yeah, probably,” Harry murmured sadly. He then pushed Draco up against the wall and stole his breath with a hard kiss.

Draco moaned in longing before pushing Harry away. “I'm exhausted!” He protested, almost out of a feeling that he  _should_ protest rather than an actual desire to. Then he gave up. “Oh fuck it!” 

They were both obviously hard and wanting it again, so he pulled Harry close and dug his fingers into Harry's hips as they ground together through their robes. It was dry and rough, but it felt good anyway. The snogging seemed to be the real key though as it pulled another orgasm from both of them that made their knees give out. They tumbled to the floor as they gasped for breath.

“I mean it this time!” Draco growled when he could speak. He proved his point by ending all the spells he'd cast on the room, and then used the indents in the stone wall of the classroom as handholds to climb back to his feet. On very wobbly legs, he opened the door and left the room.

Hesitating for one moment, Draco turned to look back into the room. “Good night, Potter. I hope you sleep well after all this.” And possibly the weirdest thing of all was that he meant it!

Harry chuckled and attempted to crawl out of the room. As he did so, he gasped out: “Of crap! I was on my way to the hospital wing!” Draco looked back at him curiously even as he kept staggering away. Harry sighed in defeat. “Well, I guess it couldn't have been poison after all since I didn't get sick and die.”

This was good news because Draco  _really_ didn't want to be responsible for the death of Harry Potter due to shagging him when he needed to go to the hospital for a cure for poisoning. That would lead to an awkward conversation that he didn't want to have. Ever!

Somehow managing not to fall off his feet, he wobbled and stumbled his way back to the Slytherin dungeon. The little he had seen of Harry walking away confirmed that the other boy was in the same shape. Oddly, this made Draco smirk triumphantly.

Once back in his common room, he was frustrated to find that it was full of other students. About half of his fellow Slytherins stared at him in shocked silence, while the other half promptly started asking each other if they were really seeing Draco Malfoy irresponsibly covered in love bites. Draco decided to avoid the whole messy conversation by going directly to his dorm.

Of course, both Blaise and Pansy ran after him. Normally Draco would brag, but right now, he sincerely wished that he had the ability to lock everyone out of his dorm for a while.

“What happened to you?!” Blaise asked in astonishment. Draco was positively disheveled, and that was something that never happened!

Draco stripped off his school robe and quickly slipped into bed. As he covered himself with his blanket, he sighed happily. Blaise and Pansy exchanged looks of pure shock at the expression on his face. Not only did Draco never let anyone know what he was actually thinking, but he had been so stressed out this year that this was highly abnormal!

“He looks high,” Pansy murmured in concern. “Like he's blissed out on potions.”

“He looks like he just had the best shag of his life,” Blaise muttered to Pansy. Then he added a question directly to Draco. “Did you?”

Draco smirked at them with a completely smug and  _knowing_ look. “I'll tell you later.”

 

***

 

When Draco woke up, he felt wonderful but sore all over. A smile stretched his lips before he could even wonder why he was smiling. He stretched, yawning loudly in a way that sounded a bit like a purr, and then yelped in surprise to see Blaise standing next to his bed, staring at him intently.

“So... you want to tell me what happened now?” Blaise asked.

“What are you talking about?” Draco wondered with a confused frown.

“Just that you stumbled through the common room last night looking thoroughly shagged, went straight to bed, and then refused to talk about what happened as you fell asleep,” Blaise explained.

Draco sat up and winced as he realized that he was sore somewhere he shouldn't be. He also realized that he had apparently stripped down and slept naked – which was not so unusual on hot nights, but was unusual on cold ones like it had been.

Slipping out of bed, Draco took a good look at his body in his full length mirror. He had bruises everywhere. To be honest, it was rather impressive!

“And I didn't tell you anything?” Draco asked Blaise.

“Not a word – except to say that you'd tell me later,” Blaise answered.

“I really wish I that I had told you – or better yet, that I could remember it and tell you now,” Draco murmured, still twisting and turning his body to look at all the marks and dried evidence. “I look like I had a lot of fun.”

“Maybe a little too much fun,” Blaise remarked in concern. “I know you looked like you were floating on a cloud of bliss last night, but now that I see everything,” he gestured to Draco's body. “I am not so sure that it was a good night.”

“It had to have been,” Draco reasoned with a smirk. “I would have hexed anyone who tried to touch me if I didn't want them to.”

Blaise tilted his head to the side, nodding to concede the point. 

“Besides, I feel brilliant! Sore, yes, but happy. Surely I wouldn't feel happy if it had been bad,” Draco hypothesized. 

“Then why don't you seem to remember what happened?” Blaise wondered.

Draco sighed because he was disappointed that he couldn't remember anything. “Well, there's a potion going around school that makes one horny and then takes away the memory of what happened. As prefects, we've been keeping an eye out for it. I must have confiscated one and then had some sort of accident on the way to dispose of it.”

“What if you were slipped the potion on purpose?” Blaise asked quietly with a solemn tone.

Draco sighed morosely as it occurred to him that this was a possibility. “I'll write up an anonymous report and submit it to Madam Pomfrey.”

Blaise watched in amusement as Draco admired his body once more. Then Draco grabbed his wand and cast a few healing spells to get rid of the bruises that would be seen, keeping the ones that wouldn't be seen. Lastly, he pointed his wand at his bum and whispered another healing spell.

“ _Oh really_?” Blaise asked with interest.

Draco smirked at him. “I wasn't sure that was going to work since I couldn't clearly see it in the mirror. But yes, apparently that got some use last night.”

Blaise pouted. “And it wasn't by me.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Do you remember how hung you are? I wouldn't let you near my arse if you paid me, blackmailed me, bribed me, or won a favor in a bet!”

Blaise ran a hand down Draco's spine. “What about other things?” 

Draco kissed him on the cheek. “As always, you'll have to wait until after I'm done with all my homework tonight. Now, I should probably take a shower.”

Blaise purposely smelled him. “I don't know, you smell really good right now; musky and full of sex.”

“Ugh! No thanks! I don't need to walk around all day smelling like a slag!” Draco protested, and then walked to the showers – where Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott were already washing up. The three of them looked him over curiously, but said nothing.

With a satisfied smirk, Draco went about his day.

 

***

 

Draco picked at his food, but nothing looked good. He had terrible nausea that had plagued him on and off for over a week. It was probably why he thought food looked downright disgusting right now. 

However, the  _real_ problem was why he was nauseous in the first place. He'd thought it was a stomach bug or maybe the flu, but those were supposed to be quick and full of actual vomiting. This was just suffering.

Horrible suffering!

_I must be more adversely affected by the stress than I thought..._

Draco summoned the pitcher of milk from down along the table and filled his cup. He'd discovered that while food looked repulsive, milk suddenly tasted delicious. Like nectar from the Gods! It even managed to calm his nausea after a while so that he could eat a few bites.

With a sigh, and  _desperate_ to take his mind off his stomach, Draco thought back to the night he couldn't remember. It had happened near the beginning of April, and now it was the middle of May. In just a little over a month, school would be over for the year, which was currently not a happy thought. 

_If I don't complete my task by then_ ...

There was nothing he could do right now but worry and hope for the best.

 

***

 

Draco was glad that this illness always managed to wake him up before any of his dorm mates. He had just barely enough time each morning to make it into the bathroom and cast a silencing spell before spewing into the toilet. This had been going on for almost two weeks now, and Draco was finally getting fed up with it. Stress or not, this was getting excessive!

In determination, Draco rinsed out his mouth, left the bathroom, and then marched to the hospital wing – despite still being in his pajamas. It was still only 5:30 in the morning, and so he wasn't worried about anyone seeing him. To his surprise, Madam Pomfrey was awake.

“Don't look so surprised, Mr. Malfoy,” she stated with a little smirk. “I'm always up this early to check on my overnight patients before they wake up.”

“Oh,” Draco murmured, relieved to see that there wasn't actually any patients. “I, er...” He scrunched up his face unhappily and looked away.

Pomfrey was tempted to roll her eyes. “What's this? Embarrassment? That usually only means one thing in a boy your age; you've found a girlfriend and need potions to make sure that she doesn't have to worry about accidents.”

“What?!” Draco asked in confusion. Was she actually implying that he didn't already use those potions as needed. “No! I wouldn't need to come to you for those potions...”

“Oh,” Pomfrey murmured, looking askance at him. “Because if you need them, Hogwarts is dedicated to preventing unplanned pregnancy, and so we give out potions to prevent conception. Each student is given yearly exams as well and if a student – usually a muggleborn as purebloods tend to be resistant for some reason – anyway, if a student happens to be carrying a sexually transmitted disease, I treat that right away. Thus you do not have to worry about that. Well, not unless the girl you're seeing has left school recently and had relations with someone else. Now, which do you want? The potion to make her unable to conceive, or the one that makes _you_ unable to conceive?”

Draco rolled his eyes in amusement that he was  _having_ this conversation. He had long known all of this and he hadn't ever had a bad result on his yearly exam which checked him for STDs. Pomfrey didn't notice his bemusement and went on.

“I warn you that the male version of the potion often causes the inability to, er, _finish_ until the potion wears off approximately 24 hours later, while the female version has the benefit of adding to the pleasure. That was on purpose so that girls will _want_ to remember to take their potion beforehand.”

“Enough!” Draco blurted out impatiently, holding up his hands. “As much as I am actually fascinated to see how long you will continue on rambling, I'm not here for contraceptive potions. I've just been vomiting most disconcertingly every morning for almost two weeks, and I was extremely nauseous for about a week before that. I figure that I'm just under so much stress that it's making me sick, and I would like for you to give me something to make it stop.”

Pomfrey eyed him sharply for a moment. “You didn't happen to eat a treacle tart in the Slytherin common room a few months ago, did you?”

“What?” Draco asked in confusion. “I bring treacle tarts down to my dorm all the time.”

Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes. “Fine, I mean did you happen to eat one that was left unattended on a table in the common room that you hadn't put there?”

Draco thought back with a still confused frown. “Not that I can remember...” he murmured slowly.

Pomfrey sighed in relief. “Excellent! One of the Seventh Years had made her aunt a fertility potion at her request and stupidly forgot it on the table, only it disappeared. She frantically came to warn me that it had gone missing so that I could test all the girls for sudden increased fertility, but since they were all clear, we assume a boy must have eaten it. The girls all vowed to abstain in case I misdiagnosed them for at least 48 hours – but that's nothing you need to know.”

Draco was no longer quite so impatient and also a bit fascinated by the topic. He now wore a definitely curious expression. “Er... What happens if a boy takes the potion?” He was just not awake enough to remember if they had ever covered this in potions class.

“Oh, he develops a uterus and a temporary passage for semen to reach eggs – very fertile eggs, mind. It's a fertility potion for a reason.”

“So... he's not just more likely to get a girl up the duff?”

She shook her head. “No, because the majority of fertility potions are meant to work on the one who wants to carry the baby. If she becomes super fertile, then even a man with very low fertility will become a father. In rare cases, a man who is sterile can take a special fertility potion, but it's not guaranteed to work unless the woman takes a regular potion too since his enhanced fertility may still meet infertile eggs.” 

“Oh...” Draco didn't really know what to say to that. It wasn't a problem he expected to ever have to deal with. Especially considering that he was part of a wealthy and influential family that could pay a pureblood witch to carry for him long before he would ever need to consider getting pregnant himself.

“Anyway...” Pomfrey murmured, pointing her wand at him and casting a few diagnostic spells. As time passed, she seemed to get confused. “Tricky... you're not ill... not allergic... not poisoned... not reacting to a spell or a potion...”

Draco was starting to feel like she didn't believe him. “I swear! I really do vomit each morning, and actually, occasionally during the day, and food looks disgusting!”

“I wonder...” Pomfrey murmured thoughtfully. She cast another spell. “Gravida Probatur!” Immediately, Draco lit up yellow. “Aha...”

Draco felt relieved now that she believed him and had found the problem. “So, is there a potion I can take to get rid of it?”

“Well, yes, but...”

“But what?” Draco wondered with a frown.

“According to this yellow light you can clearly see, you must have eaten the missing tart after all,” Pomfrey explained unhelpfully.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Draco wondered with a frustrated growl, feeling like he was missing something important, but he was just too tired to figure it out at the moment.

However, Pomfrey seemed lost in thought again. “I didn't expect that a  _boy_ would pose a problem because  _well_ ... But I suppose that I should have with as many men that are coming out as gay these days. Mr. Malfoy, how long have you been with your boyfriend?”

“What?!” Draco cried out in surprise. “But I haven't got a boyfriend!”

“So it was just fooling around then?” Pomfrey asked with a look like this too should not have been a surprise.

“Of course I fool around, what does that have to do with –! Oh!” Draco gulped apprehensively, his mind finally catching up. “Wait, are you saying that I happened to eat a treacle tart with a fertility potion in it on the _one_ day that I was accidentally exposed to a variant of a lust potion that causes memory loss and am now...” he gulped, feeling shaky. His mind was having a hard time wrapping around this concept. Despite her earlier rambling, Draco hadn't _really_ thought too hard about a male taking a fertility potion and developing a uterus and...

And oh!

_Buggering hell!_

_Fuck!_

As Draco was having a mental crisis, Madam Pomfrey was thinking over his words. “Lust potion...? Wait, yes, a few of the prefects did actually bring me confiscated vials such a potion to destroy.” She then saw the look of utter panic on Draco's face.

“Draco! Are you telling me that you were slipped a nasty potion and then raped?”

This pulled Draco out of his mental crisis. “Well, no. I really don't think so. Even under the influence of a lust potion, I am a Slytherin. I would hex anyone I didn't want touching me, and if I did want it to happen and decided to consent, I'd make sure I got exactly what I wanted out of it. I'm not worried about rape. Unfortunately, I have no idea who the other party was.” Draco bit his lip in thought. “I even wrote an anonymous report on what had happened.”

Madam Pomfrey was torn. On the one hand, she didn't think there was such a thing as consenting under the influence of any type of lust potion. On the other hand, if maybe it had been an accident, then neither party had done anything wrong. If only she could be sure which had happened. However, even if she was, there was nothing that could be done unless they found the other party, and the school was already doing everything possible to catch and punish the perpetrators of the illegal potion. 

Draco sensed her upset. “I know it may sound hard to believe, but even the next day, I felt wonderful. I don't think I would have felt so good if it had been a bad experience.”

Pomfrey sighed. “Well, however it happened aside, the fact remains that you are pregnant. Since you are 16, I legally cannot inform your parents without your approval. In fact, I cannot legally share any of your health information regarding your sexuality to  _anyone_ without your explicit consent.”

“Oh thank Salazar!” Draco blurted out in relief. “For a minute there, I thought you were going to tell me that you were going to tell Snape and that _he'd_ probably tell my parents!”

“No,” Pomfrey said with a sigh. “I can't do that, and actually, neither could he. While I _do_ recommend telling him so that he can help you think through all your options, at this point in the year, unless you were ready to give birth, no one would even know before the end of school – if you didn't want them to.”

She hummed in thought. “Hmm... Based on when the tart went missing, I'd guess you to be approximately two months along.” She then cast a diagnostic spell to confirm her theory. The spell made a ball appear like a hologram in front of Draco's stomach. It was flesh colored, and actually looked like a muscle of some sort. “The size of the uterus indicates that you conceived near the beginning of April and are due sometime in January. Later on – once you've made your decision – if you want me to actually take a look at the baby, I'll have you lay down so I can do a more thorough job with the measurements.”

“What decision?” Draco asked, his head spinning from the realization that this was _real._ That it was really happening.

“Whether or not you want to keep it, of course,” Pomfrey answered a bit tartly. “Snape can help you decide, but I must ask you to think about this carefully. A regular female student would normally ask to leave school and continue her studies from home – via correspondence, please don't think we are barbarians who would abandon a young mother still in need of an education, but anyway, _you_ are not a regular student. Nor do I particularly think you would be better off leaving school just now. Sadly. Thus after thinking very carefully about your life and what you must live with for the next few years, I...”

She took a deep breath, clearly distressed. “I would probably recommend aborting it before it's too late.”

“No,” Draco murmured, shaking his head. “Do you have any idea how much I value family? I don't _want_ to be pregnant! However, there's no way that I could just get rid of a child carrying Malfoy blood. I mean I understand. I really do. It's the smart thing to do, and if it were anyone other than me, I'd agree, but there it is. I couldn't do it.”

“Very well then,” Pomfrey said, giving him a tiny smile. “I suppose that I'll need to go through what you can expect to happen over the next few months. Of course, I can only see to you while you are here, so I recommend that you look for a healer at St. Mungo's first thing when you go home for summer holiday.”

“Of course! Nothing but the best for a Malfoy,” Draco muttered with a hint of a growl.

“I see,” she said with a heavy sigh, tempted to smack the haughtiness right out of him. “Well, all that leaves for me to do is explain that you are going to have to focus on nutrition as much as possible from here on out. I'll give you a supply of potions that will provide all the nutrients your baby will need to grow properly, but really, food is your best friend right now.”

“Ironic how food is the one thing I can't stand to look at right now,” Draco grumbled.

“That's because you need to eat frequently and if you don't, your stomach rebels. I'll ask the house elves to leave snacks for you in your dorm when no one is around. That way, you can eat more than normal.”

“And milk?” Draco asked hopefully. “It's the only thing that seems to settle my stomach.”

“And milk,” Pomfrey agreed with a tiny grin.

 

***

 

Draco definitely did  _not_ want to tell his friends. He really  _really_ did not want to tell them. At all. Ever! Luckily, with finals coming up and his important task for the Dark Lord taking up his every waking moment, none of his friends saw him long enough to tempt him into confessing.

To be honest, Draco was equal parts afraid to tell them in case they thought he was a freak, or worse! Thought it was information that the Dark Lord should know – which he probably  _would_ want to know. 

By deciding to keep the baby, Draco knew his life would be in constant danger. More than it already was! The baby would be a tool to be used against him and his parents. And... He was also reluctant to tell his friends because he didn't want to derail their lives by giving them information that would force them to choose between Draco and their parents – all of whom supported the Dark Lord.

Since Madam Pomfrey said that he should be fine continuing on as he was, Draco decided to push all thoughts of being pregnant to the back of his mind until he had time to think things through and figure out what he needed to do. As always, he spent an enormous amount of time trying to figure out how to fix the bloody cabinet from hell! The infernal thing practically refused to be fixed and it was slowly driving Draco insane!

Which was how he ended up lying in a pool of his own blood on a bathroom floor, Harry Potter having nearly killed him. Draco was more terrified than he had ever been in his life, and strangely, it was all for the baby. He almost welcomed death, if not for the fact that it also meant the death of his baby. When Snape came in and saved their lives, Draco could have almost kissed him! Hugged him at the very least, except this was the Professor who gravely disappointed him ever since his father had been sent to Azkaban, so any sort of gratitude was out of the question.

To his deep relief, Madam Pomfrey insisted on complete privacy as she treated him, and then spent a long time making sure that the baby was fine. Eventually, she smiled at him.

“Mr. Malfoy, it's really quite a miracle, but your baby is doing just fine. Would you like to see?”

Draco swallowed the feeling that he was about to cry, and then nodded. Tears threatened to spill from him as watched Pomfrey cast a spell that showed first the fleshy ball he had seen previously, and then it zoomed in to show the tiny creature that was his baby. A strange whooshing sound filled the room.

“The heartbeat sounds exactly as it should,” Madam Pomfrey assured him.

Draco let out a single sob of profound relief before covering his eyes and insisting that she leave him alone.

 

***

 

Due to nearly being killed and his still very pressing need to fix that blasted cabinet, well, Draco actually almost forgot he was pregnant! He was nearing the end of his rope. If he did not succeed by the end of the school year, he may as well just kill himself and save the Dark Lord the trouble of torturing him.

In fact, despair set in and suicide was looking better and better. Except that if he killed himself, the Dark Lord would probably just torture his mother and let his father rot in prison. It was then that he remembered his baby, because with all the stress he was under, it was a subject that he just couldn't afford to think about.

If he didn't have potions to take every day and snacks appearing for him all the time, he almost wouldn't even know he was pregnant. The advice about eating more frequently combined with the potions to help rid him of his nausea, and now he only vomited in the morning if he forgot to eat a snack before going to bed.

Blaise and Theo both commented on how odd it was that Draco was eating before bed each night – and come to think of it, almost every time they saw him – but they didn't ask why. With Draco still trying not to think about it too much – or completely freak out about his continued failure – he kept it a secret. He probably wouldn't ever be able to tell them.

Then came the worse day of Draco's life. It started out fairly happy, he'd finally fixed that blasted bloody mother buggering cabinet, but then he was supposed to do his  _actual_ job. He tried – he really did – but he just couldn't bring himself to kill. 

For one insane moment, he thought that he might just switch sides and let Dumbledore protect him and his innocent child. Then the worst thing he could imagine happened. Watching as Dumbledore was killed felt about a thousand times more horrible than even nearly dying himself had felt. He tried his best to think about anything at all, but then Snape grabbed him and forced him to leave, running until they got away.

The next few hours seemed to pass in a blur, but the next time he had a moment to think, he was in his own bed at home. He had no idea what to think or feel. With such a huge weight off his shoulders – but also still clearly in danger – Draco couldn't stop himself. He curled into a ball and sobbed into his pillow.

His mother eventually found him like that and rubbed his back. She could understand that he'd just had a very hard year, and sympathized because she would have given anything to take his place and spare him from any and all danger. She hummed softly until he calmed down.

At that point, it seemed like he had to tell her. She  _had_ to know what he was getting into. Hell! She might even be able to help him, which would take a load off Draco's mind.

“I have something to tell you,” Draco murmured, suddenly more scared and shakier than he had ever been in his life.

“What?” Narcissa asked him, clearly intrigued by his suddenly hesitant demeanor.

“Er... Well... Did you know that if a bloke takes a fertility potion, he could...” Draco faltered. It sounded evasive and _lame_ , even to his own ears.

“Get pregnant?” His mother supplied, confused by why he was bringing this up now.

“Yeah,” Draco responded with a shrug. 

“Why are you asking this?” Narcissa wondered suspiciously.

Draco sort of looked away. It was harder than he thought it would be to confess this. “ _Well..._ ”

Narcissa gasped in sudden understanding. “ _No_ !”

“Yes, which is why I need your advice,” Draco stated firmly. “It's going to be hard enough hiding this from the Dark Lord without me vomiting every morning and –” 

“Oh my darling boy,” Narcissa murmured as she pulled him into a hug and stroked his back again. “How did this happen?”

“Near as I can figure, I was stupid enough to eat a tart laced with a fertility potion, and then got hit with a version of a lust potion that erased all memory of what happened. Since I don't know for sure what happened, I can only assume that it was an accident, but I wrote up a report on it just in case it wasn't,” Draco explained.

“Oh dear,” his mother clucked sympathetically. “Are you well? Have you been eating enough?”

“Yes,” Draco answered with a smile. “And I've been taking potions every day.”

Narcissa suppressed a sigh of mild disappointment that her son was in such a scandalous position. Right now, the most important thing was making sure that her son would be safe from the Dark Lord. It didn't take a genius to understand that  _he_ would delight at using this information to blackmail and coerce them both.

 

***

 

Life with a mad man in his house was nowhere  _near_ as fun as one might think it would be. Especially for a pregnant... Draco was reluctant to call himself a man when he still felt like a boy, but since he was officially of age, he supposed that he was a man now.

His mother was once again the most supportive person in his life. She not only helped him keep his secret, but she also made sure that his father didn't figure it out after the Dark Lord arranged his escape from Azkaban. She gave him books to read on pregnancy and made sure he ate a lot more extra food than he thought necessary. 

His father seemed to realize that something was going on. He often looked at Draco strangely, but nothing was said because even Lucius knew that some things should be kept a secret. Especially with the Dark Lord forcibly staying in their home.

Life passed in a strange blur of nothing happening for long periods of time followed by short bursts of highly dangerous activity. For the most part, Draco basically pretended that he wasn't pregnant. One of the scariest parts of his life was each time Voldemort looked at him as if trying to figure out the mysteries of the universe. Thank Salazar – and his insane aunt Bellatrix – Draco was adept enough at Occlumency to hide his secret.

To his eternal relief, Voldemort mostly left him alone now that he had halfway proved himself. To Draco's secret shame, the moment it was announced that since they had taken over Hogwarts – thus Draco would be going back to school – he couldn't  _wait_ to go back! He knew that he would never truly be safe anywhere, but at least he wouldn't be directly under the Dark Lord's nose.

The strain of being pregnant and living with an evil man soon had Draco snapping. He couldn't handle things any longer and picked a horrible fight with his father before leaving for school. Of course, Voldemort looked delighted by this rift. So much so that he only ordered Draco to assist Snape and the others as much as possible in their mission to teach pureblood values.

Once back at Hogwarts, depression set in for a while. There wasn't much he could do to comfort himself, and he was still terrified that his friends would find out that he was pregnant. Even worse, if Voldemort found out now, Draco would be seen as a traitor. This put him under more stress than ever and it took all he had to hold back his true feelings. He felt that if he let go now, he'd utterly fall apart and never be able to pick up the pieces.

During this time, he spent a lot of time when he was alone in bed rubbing his baby bump. It was fairly large and definitely noticeable. It was also completely obvious as to what it was. Fortunately for him, he had become adept at casting a glamour over his stomach so that he didn't look pregnant.

“Baby,” Draco murmured one day to his bump as he lay in bed surrounded by a silencing spell. He wiped silent tears from his eyes, and then waited until he felt movement inside him. “I should have had an abortion, shouldn't I?”

Of course, there was no answer, and honestly, he couldn't even begin to guess at how such an innocent being would feel. The only thing he knew was how terrified he felt that someone would tell the Dark Lord about this child, and then for  _him_ to take the baby away. Even so, he felt incredibly sad at the thought of losing his baby.

“No. No matter what happens, you are a miracle,” Draco informed his baby far more confidently than he felt. “You were created by some sort of fate – and you know what? I don't usually believe in such things. Still, how likely is it that I would take a fertility potion – especially when I _know_ better than to eat strange things – and _then_ get hit with a lust potion? It's not likely at all. The chances are probably close to zero, but it happened, and so it was probably fate. A chance for me to find happiness if I can. Or maybe it's simply an extra incentive for me to live through this war.”

Draco sighed, feeling inexplicably relieved to hear himself say that. Then he sighed in depression. “But... Once you're born, what am I going to do with you? I can't exactly bring you into battle with me. And what if the Dark Lord finds out about you? That would either put you directly into the hands of a mad man who would use you against me, or give him the idea to torture or kill you just to torture me.”

He wished he could figure out what to do, but he just couldn't. It was all he could do to keep himself from falling apart. From sadness. From loneliness. From stress. From having a body that constantly ached. And for having no idea what to do about anything.

“I just don't know,” Draco whispered softly to his baby. He snuggled into his bed, and because he was so very exhausted, he fell asleep hours before he normally would have, not even bothering to do his homework.

 

***

 

Time passed and Draco did nothing but mope and worry his friends. He'd pushed everyone away, ignoring all attempts at conversation. If someone suggested that he go visit Hogsmeade for some stress relief, he simply ignored them. He barely cared about his classes, rarely talked to anyone, and put up a protective shield whenever he thought anyone was getting too close to him.

By the time it was time to go home to his parents for Christmas, Draco was a quivering ball of nerves! He knew that he was getting close to giving birth, and feared it turning into a complete disaster! He was also starting to feel a bit dead inside. Like a corpse being possessed by fear. Of the Dark Lord. Of being a parent who couldn't even take care of himself. Of giving birth to a child who might one day hate him for destroying the world at the order of someone who was criminally insane!

Draco had to revise his opinion on the worst day of his life. Sitting in pain in a chair with his parents pretending to be happy while trying to entertain the Dark Lord for Christmas... All the while trying not to give into the urge to scream... This moment in his life actually  _was_ worse than watching Dumbledore be killed by Snape  _just_ when the old man had offered him salvation. Possibly the saddest part of all of it was that Draco still didn't care about dying – or at least it  _felt_ like he was dying – he cared about  _his baby_ dying.

Except that he was definitely in labor. Hell, he had probably been in labor from the moment he first sat down to open presents, but he hadn't been able to do anything about it until his life was no longer in danger. He bit his lips and held his breath to hide the pain, tempted to clutch his abdomen.

“Just a few minutes more,” his mother assured him, whispering in his ear. “The Dark Lord promised to leave us in peace in just a few minutes. Keep fighting until then...”

Draco took a deep breath, but couldn't stop a whimper as he closed his eyes and focused on what he had to do. Just like with Occlumency, he had to push all his pain and discomfort to a locked box in the back of his mind and pull up happy memories of past Christmases. The level of pain reduced to bearable almost immediately. 

Just as Draco was sighing in relief, the Dark Lord scanned his mind in an attempt to find out what was going on. Finding nothing and growing bored with celebrating a holiday he didn't like, Voldemort ordered all his minions to leave the Malfoys in peace for the rest of the night. He took his leave as well.

After that, Narcissa frantically cast several spells around the room that Draco didn't know. He was utterly grateful to her that she had apparently researched what to do – because until this moment, Draco had actually assumed that he would just go to St. Mungo's. This was  _clearly_ a case of Draco being too preoccupied to think things through.

His father looked pale and shaken the entire time. He still had no idea what was going on, but he could see that his son was not well. “What's the matter?” He whispered to his wife despite the fact that they were alone now. 

Narcissa couldn't really take the time to explain. She ended the glamour over Draco's stomach, and then pushed his velvety soft cashmere sweater up before unbuttoning his soft wool trousers to give her room to work. This left no doubt in anyone's mind as to what was happening. Even so, Lucius was reeling in shock!

Narcissa projected a calm she didn't feel as she cast the necessary spells, but despite of her inner turmoil, she managed to safely cut Draco open and deliver his baby. Then Draco held the baby, covering them both with the warm baby blanket that Lucius asked the house elves to bring even though he was still in shock. Draco felt like he was wavering in and out of consciousness as his mother did everything else that needed to be done. 

When everything was finished Draco sort of slept for a while. In the background, he heard his parents discussing and arguing about what had happened. His mother seemed ready to fight tooth and nail to protect her grandson while his father wanted to send the baby away somewhere safe. 

When Draco woke up, everything looked a lot less grim than it had. For a couple of hours at least. Not only was the sun shining through the window now – indicating that it was morning – but he could see his baby sleeping in his mother's arms.

“I had my baby boy on Christmas,” Draco murmured with a grin as his mother handed the baby to him. He took a few moments to examine every part of his son, noting how perfect he was. “This feels like the best present I could have gotten – aside from the Dark Lord suddenly deciding to off himself.”

His father snorted in derision. “Don't talk like that lest someone manages to overhear you.”

Narcissa wrung her hands in worry. “We've warded this room the best we can, but if the Dark Lord returns and wonders why we're trying to keep him out...”

Draco started to cry. He didn't want to, but it felt like the weight of the entire world hit him at once. “How are we going to keep him a secret? How can we possibly keep him safe?!”

His mother tried her best to comfort him. “We'll manage! We'll send him to a safe house with a couple of elves if we have to.”

Draco held his baby as tightly as he could without hurting him. He was still crying because the thought of sending his son away hurt. “I don't want to let him go!”

His mother started crying now too. “We... we can try to hide him here in the Manor. No one ever goes up to the attic. We'll have the elves thoroughly clean a portion of it, and then heavily ward it against intrusion. If we place repelling charms on the attic and silencing charms around the portion made into the nursery, no one will ever know he's there.”

His father was starting to wrap his head around what had happened and come to a sort of acceptance. Seeing Draco so very attached to his baby pulled at the part of Lucius that had always been proud of his son. He softened a bit and even tried to smile.

“Your mother has an idea worth trying. We should get to work so that it's ready before the Dark Lord returns,” Lucius suggested, and then he did smile at his son. “Except for you and the baby. The two of you should rest until we're ready. I'll have the elves bring you everything you'll need for the baby until we're done.”

“Thank you,” Draco murmured, feeling so relieved that he almost started crying again.

 

***

 

By the time Draco had to return to Hogwarts, he felt at peace for the first time in a long time. His parents had put so much protection on his son that there was no way the Dark Lord would ever discover him. He was as safe as he could possibly be.

Better, in the event that anyone discovered the wards in the attic – long before they could figure out what was hidden there – the two elves assigned to care for Scorpius at all times would Apparate him to a safe house that Narcissa had bought and placed under a Fidelius Charm for exactly this reason. It was unplottable and unfindable, and since Draco was the secret keeper, he knew that no one would ever find his son because he would literally die before he told anyone the secret.

Now, all he had to do was act normal and get through the year in one piece. His friends were all relieved that he was talking to them again, which made his life more bearable. Aside from the all consuming need to see and hold his son, he could almost pretend that his life  _was_ normal. Or at least, normal for someone who had pledged to serve a mad man.

Time passed slowly, but eventually, he was able to go home for Easter hols. He had to act normally when others were around – such as his insane aunt Bellatrix – but every moment he was allowed to be alone, he spent with his son in the attic.

Holding Scorpius, Draco crooned softly to the three and a half month old infant. “As soon as I'm out of school for good, if our Lord is still fighting his war, or worse, if he wins, I'm going to take you to our safe house and stay there forever. Just the two of us. Well,  _maybe_ your grandmother and grandfather too, but if they decide to come with us, they had better buy a bigger safe house!”

Draco smiled at and kissed his son happily. “You're the best thing that has ever happened to me!” 

Scorpius was awake and cooed at his daddy. The baby couldn't really do anything except for squirm, but he always seemed fascinated by his father's face. The two of them could stare at each other for hours, especially if Scorpius was eating.

“I know it's still too early to know for sure, but I'd swear that your eyes are turning green!” Draco observed in surprise. This was highly unusual because the Malfoys all tended to have white-blond hair and gray or light blue eyes, and the Blacks tended to have black or brown hair and eyes.

This occupied Draco's thoughts for a while, but eventually, real life intruded once more. An elf arrived to tell him that his mother was calling for him. With a sigh, Draco hugged his baby close for one moment more, kissing him several times.

“If the worst should happen and I die in this war, rest assured that my mother will protect you with her life,” Draco murmured, kissing his son one last time before laying him down in the bassinet and Disapparating from the room.

Down in the drawing room, his mother asked him to sit with his father while she went to check on the visitors to their house. Which turned out to be Harry Potter and his idiot friends. They had gone and gotten themselves captured after months of successfully hiding. The only thing they had going for them at the moment was the fact that the Dark Lord had gone off on a secret mission of some sort.

_This is the only person in the world who can stop that evil bastard if the prophecy is right,_ Draco thought as he tried to avoid looking directly at Harry.  _The only one who can ensure that the world is safe for my son to grow up in._

Draco saw how excited his father was at a chance to get back into the Dark Lord's good graces, but Draco just couldn't give up the one chance they had at eventually living a life free from insanity. He refused to confirm what he knew; that this was definitely Harry Potter.

His father forced him to look closer, and...

_Merlin and Salazar! I'd forgotten that he has green eyes! But surely he can't be... Even under a lust potion, I'd never consent to having sex with him!!! It doesn't matter that I've been half in love with him since watching him defeat a dragon in our fourth year, I wouldn't! Would I?_

His father was talking himself into believing that this was the boy the Dark Lord wanted more than anything – even food, water, or air. “What do you think?” Lucius asked his son as they inspected Harry.

“I don't know,” Draco stated in an even voice, and then he walked away toward the fireplace where his mother stood watching.

After that, Draco could barely think as most of the prisoners were brought down to the dungeon and Hermione Granger was tortured by his aunt Bellatrix.  _I'm so sorry, but better you than my son._

_If Voldemort found out about him, he'd use him to make me do all the torturing of innocents like you, just like he holds my safety against my parents so that they don't rebel. Just like he holds their safety against me to make sure that I help him when there are things I can do. Do you think that I wanted to let Death Eaters into the School? Do you think that I wanted to be ordered to kill an old man?_

Draco felt numb as he retrieved the goblin from the dungeon. He still felt numb a few minutes later when it became obvious that Potter and the weasel had managed to break out of their cell. Draco fought because it was expected of him, but he didn't fight very hard.

When their old house elf Dobby took hold of the golden trio to Apparate them to safety – his aunt throwing a dagger after them – Draco stared at Harry, _willing_ him to survive and defeat the Dark Lord. Sooner rather than later, thank you very much!

After that, the Malfoy family was confined to their house as punishment for losing Harry Potter – at least until Draco was supposed to return to Hogwarts. Draco could have laughed if it wasn't so important that he keep his mouth shut. This was exactly where he wanted to be! The Dark Lord had even left for a few days, giving his family time alone to be with Scorpius.

Of course, all good things come to an end, and Draco had to return to school.

 

***

 

On May 2nd – roughly two months before the end of the school year, in fact the end of school for Draco period – Harry Potter returned to Hogwarts. Draco had been in bed when Professor Slughorn rushed into the Slytherin dorms and insisted that everyone wake up and go to the great hall. Knowing something was up, he hastily got dressed and insisted that his minions Crabbe and Goyle get dressed too.

The lounged around the great hall for a while until Harry actually showed up. He was looking for something and seemed to be in a hurry. Draco stayed back and watched him, wondering yet again if this was the other father of his son.

The entire hall fell into silence as Voldemort boomed out an ultimatum to hand Harry Potter over or suffer the consequences. While everyone was listening and looking over at Harry, Draco told his minions to cast disillusionment charms and prepare to follow Harry if he wasn't handed over. Even though the two hadn't been nearly so obedient ever since he had been pregnant and stopped talking to everyone, they still did as suggested, both eager to prove themselves to the Dark Lord.

When Pansy pointed out the fact that Harry Potter was standing right over there, this invisible trio of Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle managed to step back until they were against the wall and out of the way. They waited as everyone from their house was evacuated, and then they kept a sharp eye on Harry.

By this point in time, Draco was praying that Harry had a plan to defeat Voldemort. He also decided to do what he could to help, so long as he didn't outright betray the Dark Lord – at least not until it looked like Harry might win. Draco couldn't afford to risk being on the losing side if the Dark Lord won; his son's life might be forfeit if that happened.

So, when McGonagal pointedly reminded Harry that he was supposed to be looking for something, the invisible trio quietly followed him. Draco was tempted to shout nasty curses at Harry or even hex him. If the boy who lived really was looking for something important, then he either had no clue where to look for it, or he was purposely running around aimlessly in an attempt to confuse anyone trying to hinder him.

After a few minutes of running about, he asked one ghost to point out another, and then ran after her to ask, beg, and then coerce her into helping him. They argued about a diadem for a bit before Harry seemed to be hit by inspiration and ran off again. Draco followed, honestly not caring at this point if his minions – who he actually thought of as friends when he was being sentimental – were still with him, but he could hear them and knew that they were right next to him the entire time.

Imagine! He'd thought that Blaise and Pansy would be the ones to joke and flirt their way through the war with him, but no, it was the two who had been by his side from the first day he entered Hogwarts. Merlin! That was so very long ago!

Suddenly, a window burst open to prove that just _following_ Harry could be dangerous to one's health. It was lucky for Harry that the body that came flying through the window turned out to be Hagrid and his huge dog – who promptly tried to maul Harry with affection.

Then there was more aimless running. He even _heard_ Harry admit that he had no idea where he was going. _Of all the stupid, idiotic, half-arsed – why must the fate of the world rest in the hands of a moron?!_

But then Harry seemed to have an epiphany. Suddenly he was running with purpose. Draco even dared to hope that the end was near; the moment when Voldemort was defeated.

Then there was more running. Gods was there ever running! It was nearly too much for Draco, and frankly, he was amazed that his companions had managed to keep up with how large they were.

Finally, after all the running, they ended up almost where they started – or would have started had they actually been evacuated with the rest of the students. Near the room of hidden things. The place where Draco had miserably spent most of his sixth year. They waited out in the hall as Harry took care of some minor business.

“Where the _hell_ have you been?” Harry shouted.

“Chamber of Secrets,” said Ron.

“Chamber — _what_?” Harry questioned in surprise, coming to an unsteady halt before them.

“It was Ron, all Ron’s idea!” Hermione exclaimed breathlessly. “Wasn’t it absolutely brilliant? There we were, after you left, and I said to Ron, even if we find the other one, how are we going to get rid of it? We still hadn’t got rid of the cup! And then he thought of it! The basilisk!”

“What the — ?”

“Something to get rid of Horcruxes,” said Ron simply.

Harry’s eyes dropped to the objects clutched in Ron and Hermione’s arms: great curved fangs, torn – even Draco realized with a strange fascination – from the skull of a dead basilisk.

“But how did you get in there?” Harry asked, staring from the fangs to Ron. “You need to speak Parseltongue!”

“He did!” Hermione whispered. “Show him, Ron!”

Ron made a horrible strangled hissing noise.

“It’s what you did to open the locket,” he told Harry apologetically. “I had to have a few goes to get it right, but,” he shrugged modestly, “we got there in the end.”

“He was _amazing._ ” Hermione gushed. “Amazing!”

“So . . .” Harry was struggling to keep up. “So . . .”

“So we’re another Horcrux down,” said Ron, and from under his jacket he pulled the mangled remains of Hufflepuff’s cup. “Hermione stabbed it. Thought she should. She hasn’t had the pleasure yet.”

“Genius!” Harry yelled. Privately – and he would _never_ admit it to anyone so long as he lived – Draco thought the same. And more importantly, he knew what Horcruxes were. This explained everything! Well, almost everything...

“It was nothing,” said Ron, though he looked delighted with himself. “So what’s new with you?”

As he said it, there was an explosion from overhead: All three of them looked up as dust fell from the ceiling and they heard a distant scream. Draco looked up too, and though he couldn't see it, he was fairly certain Crabbe and Goyle had as well.

“I know what the diadem looks like, and I know where it is,” said Harry, talking fast. “He hid it exactly where I hid my old Potions book, where everyone’s been hiding stuff for centuries. He thought he was the only one to find it. Come on.”

As the walls trembled again, he led the other two back through the concealed entrance and down the staircase into the Room of hidden things – which was now changed to something else entirely. Draco held out his arms to make sure that his friends didn't go into the room just yet. He knew that something wasn't quite right.

It took a while, and frankly a lot of nerve, to wait for Harry to reemerge. However, after two women and the girl weasel came out of the room, Draco looked in to see what was going on. It looked like the weasel was snogging know it all Granger, to Harry's amusement and annoyance. Harry seemed to want to give them a moment at first, but then he reasserted that they had things to do.

“OI! There's a war going on here!”

Draco smirked, wishing he could laugh outright. Leave it to idiot Gryffindors to forget they were in the midst of battle so that they could snog!

After emerging from the room and a brief – and unnecessary in Draco's opinion – conference with his cohorts, Harry finally got around to doing what he apparently needed to do. He reopened the room, and this time, it was full of hidden things; just as Draco knew it would be.

The golden trio split up and the invisible trio followed Harry until it looked like he was about to grab what he was looking for. Draco silently urged him on until his friends ended their disillusionment spells and confronted Harry, forcing him to do the same.

They had a strangely civil conversation about wands, the Dark Lord, and the room itself. Well, it was rather civil for him and Harry – given their history, but Crabbe kept trying to wind Harry up. Draco could have kicked Crabbe if it weren't for the fact that he had to keep pretending to be on the Dark Lord's side in case Harry lost.

Then Crabbe did a series of stupid things that led to the room being inextinguishably on fire, which led to his death. Draco tried to get him to stop. To _listen_. To believe that it was for the best if they just let Harry get on with it because the Dark Lord wanted him alive. But Crabbe wouldn't listen. He just kept on being an idiot.

Goyle was silent the entire time, even before he was hit with a stunning spell. Draco wondered if he would have still followed Draco like a minion had Crabbe not been trying to take over as leader. Or was Goyle possibly also  _pretending_ to be loyal to the Dark Lord?

But there was no time to think about that. The room was on fire! Draco was torn between escaping and saving his friends. Crabbe had disappeared the first moment he could, which left Draco struggling to drag Goyle to safety.

“Greg, please wake up!” Draco pleaded, knowing it was useless. “I don't have a wand so I can't revive you!”

The fire was crowding in on him from all sides now, and the only tiny hope he had was to crawl on top of a tower of desks and pray that they were magically protected from fire. Super deadly magical fire!

Of course, the desks were  _not_ magically protected. The thought that he was going to die here clutching his unconscious friend in an out of control fire caused by his other friend made him want to cry. The thought that he would never see his son again made him scream in heartbreak and frustration. If he saw Crabbe in the after life, he was going to murder him! 

And then Harry appeared through the flames like a broom-riding God! Like a hero! Like a Savior... 

Harry's first attempt to save Draco didn't work because their hands were too sweaty and Draco wouldn't let go of Goyle. Then – perhaps even more miraculously – the weasel and Granger grabbed Goyle out of his hands, leaving him free when Harry came back. Draco clung to Harry tightly, frantically urging him toward the exit.

After the boy who was a Savior and still very much an idiot made a detour to grab something, they flew out of the room and crashed into the wall on the other side of the hall. The room promptly saved them and the rest of the castle – what was left of it – by closing up and disappearing.

There were so many things that Draco wanted to do. He wanted to hug Harry and thank him for saving his life. He might've even had an insane urge to kiss him! He wanted to ask if Harry remembered anything about a night that Draco couldn't.

Unfortunately, Draco couldn't do any of that as he lay on the floor gasping, coughing, and retching from all the smoke he had inhaled while screaming at Harry as they escaped the room. Then when he could speak, he had noticed that he was one friend short.

“C-crabbe?” He asked faintly, and then slightly firmer. C-crabbe...?”

“He's dead,” the weasel informed him harshly.

Everyone was silent until more booms and a pack of ghosts reminded them that there was still a battle going on. Harry and his friends got up and ran off, and Draco stayed where he was.  _Clearly,_ it was far safer to  _not_ follow Harry! Besides, Draco doubted that he could do anything to help anyway.

It didn't take too long to realize that remaining here wasn't the safest option – especially after an explosion created an entrance nearby to let in acromantulas! Not even Draco wanted to rely on any sort of allegiance to the Dark Lord when it came to the giant spiders.

“Come on, Greg,” he whispered to his friend. “Let's get out of here.”

“I don't want to fight anymore,” Goyle whispered back.

“Well we can't stay here,” Draco pointed out. “We'll be eaten!”

“You go do whatever you have to,” Goyle muttered. “But I'm going to try to get out of the castle.”

“Good luck!” Draco wished him sincerely. “I hope you make it to safety.”

“You too,” Goyle stated, and then got to his feet and rushed away.

Draco also got to his feet, then ran as fast as he could hoping and praying that the spiders wouldn't be able to find him until he got well away. He didn't really know where to go or what to do, so he tried to basically wind his way around all the fighting. At some point, he nearly ran into a death eater – and who knew why, but the bugger didn't seem to care that they were still supposed to be colleagues. 

“I'm Draco Malfoy!” He stated imperiously. Honestly, this should have been enough to get any death eater off his back, but it didn't seem to mean anything to this menacing man. “I'm Draco, I'm on your side!” 

Out of nowhere, the death eater was stunned, and since there was basically only one person who would bother to save him, he looked around with a grin on his face. You know, if they both survived the war, he might just have to have a talk with Harry.

Before he could locate his probable savior, a fist punched him hard enough to send him onto the death eater that had almost certainly been about to kill him. His mouth was bleeding, but he didn't really care. Instead, he was strangely bemused.

“That's the second time we saved your life tonight, you two-faced bastard!” The weasel shouted.

Draco sat there in confusion as he heard Harry and his friends running away – probably under the invisibility cloak. For the weasel to call him two-faced, it must mean that they thought there was a possibility that he was on their side. Or at the very least, they had to believe that he was occasionally  _pretending_ to be on their side. Which meant that they thought he might not be so bad after all. Which might go a long way towards explaining why they kept saving him.

Unless Draco was right about Harry being the other father of his baby and they somehow knew it. If that was they case, they might well save him whether they liked it or not just for the sake of the baby. More and more, Draco felt the need to have a good long talk with Harry when this was all over. Provided that Harry lived.

_Please oh please let him live! And better yet, defeat that evil bastard! Now would be good, actually..._

For now, however, there was really nothing for Draco to do but hide.

 

***

 

The next time Draco saw Harry, he was part of a crowd watching Harry and Voldemort circling each other. Draco had absently noticed his parents rushing off calling his name, but he couldn't bring himself to go to them. He just had to see if Harry could defeat the Dark Lord once and for all. Would he and his son finally be safe?

It seemed like years passed as the two of them talked.  _Talked_ , for Merlin's sake! What was wrong with just defeating the Dark Lord already and getting it over with? Why did Harry have to be such a smug and cocky bastard? Lording it over Voldemort that he knew everything and Voldemort knew nothing.

And what was this nonsense about the Elder wand? Wait, what? Draco had been the master of the most powerful wand in existence after defeating Dumbledore?! For like a minute until Harry disarmed Draco back at the Manor a few weeks back.  _Of course_ , Draco thought with a sigh. Of course Harry had won yet another thing from him, because that was how life worked for Draco.  _Whatever, just get on with it already_ !

Draco only half listened to the rest of the banter – which thankfully had moved on from more threats against his life – because he was mentally berating Harry. If the Dark Lord ended up winning because Harry couldn't get over himself long enough to do the deed, Draco was going to kick his rotting corpse all the way across the Quidditch pitch!  _I have a son I'd like to see again sometime before he's old enough to come to Hogwarts himself!_

And then finally, _finally!_ The battle got serious again. Harry must have read Voldemort's mind because they both shouted out spells at the exact same time.

Draco gaped in horror. Only an idiot Gryffindor would try to counter the unforgivable killing curse – otherwise know as the completely and utterly unstoppable killing curse – with a mother buggering _Expelliarmus!!!_ And then just stand there waiting for death. Again, apparently.

But no! Harry did not die! He stood there in the aftermath holding both Draco's wand _and_ the Elder wand _._ Literally, he just stood there, staring at Voldemort – who now seemed to be... Wait, could it be?

Voldemort was dead!!!

Draco was so overwhelmed with relief and exhilaration and – dare he say it? Joy? Yes, joy! – joy that _that vile evil man_ was finally dead and gone that he abandonly and wholeheartedly joined in on the copious and highly deafening cheering. He even jumped and did a little dance – which he hoped and prayed that no one saw because it embarrassed him even as he did it.

After a time, people started piling into the great hall again, and Draco went with them because he was carried along by the crowd, and really, he had no where else to go – unless his dorm was unscathed. He wasn't sure he could sleep right now anyway.

It was a good thing he went into the great hall, because his parents were standing off to the side near the Slytherin table. They looked beside themselves with worry! Draco felt bad for ignoring them earlier – especially as their gazes kept darting back to where the dead bodies were. He just _knew_ that they were more than half convinced that the worst had happened. If he was being honest, it almost had, but he didn't plan to tell them that if he could avoid it.

Instead, he quietly walked up to them and put his arms around their necks, hugging both at the same time. They all seemed to cry for a bit, and then they fell silent and simply enjoyed the fact that they were all alive. Eventually, they might even be allowed to go home and see Scorpius.

_I don't have to hide him anymore!_

As he sat between his parents – the three of them huddled uncertainly along the wall near the corner of the room closest to both the Slytherin table and the entrance/exit to the great hall – he wondered if he should try to talk to Harry now while he was still lounging around somewhere on the opposite side of the hall. Or should he wait and hope he would have an opportunity to speak to Harry later?

Before he could make a decision either way, he heard chattering that Harry Potter had disappeared again. Thus, his chance was lost. It was probably for the best. What was Draco going to say anyway?

Er, thanks for saving my life a couple of times and then defeating the Dark Lord and saving the world, and by the way, do you happen to know if we ever had sex? I sort of have a son that looks a bit like you...

Draco was certain that conversation would not go well at all. And suddenly, he was now too tired to care about anything at all. He just wanted a bed for some sleep, a hot shower, and something to fill his stomach. For once in his life, he wasn't picky about what. And come to think of it, all of that would probably be best in reverse order.

Since none of that seemed to be forthcoming, Draco rested his head on his mother's shoulder, and passed out.

 

***

 

It took a while to finally talk to Harry Potter, but the older Scorpius got, the more he looked like Harry. Scorpius was white blond with the delicate looking Malfoy body features, but he had wild hair, vibrant green eyes, and a wider, more square face. He was already crawling – almost learning to walk – by mid-October. 

Draco was currently carrying him as he strolled through Diagon Alley. Occasionally, people called out insults to him for being a known former death eater, but so long as he carried his baby – as opposed to pushing him in a stroller – people mostly left him alone. Draco was sure that no one believed the boy to be his, and actually, had overheard at least one group of witches wonder if he had glamoured the baby to hair blond hair just to fool people.

Draco simply ignored everyone and held his son close, ready to hex anyone who threatened them. He intended to buy what he needed, enjoy a little bit of the warm weather, and then go back home. Fate had other plans for him.

Rounding a corner, he nearly ran into Harry – astonishing both of them. Harry was with his friends and – judging by the way he held her hand – his girlfriend. They all stared at Draco in some combination of horror and fascination.

“Malfoy,” Harry murmured as civilly as possible.

“Potter,” Draco returned the greeting. And then seized his chance. “Can I talk to you for one minute?”

Scorpius did not care that they were standing in the presence of a very famous person. All he cared about was that said famous person wore something on his face that looked fun to play with. He leaned forward and tried his best to reach Harry's glasses, nearly making Draco drop him.

“Scorpius, no!” Draco chided, shifting his son to get a better hold on him before taking hold of Scorpius' hand.

Harry seemed to be highly confused as to how Draco seemed to have a child that looked at least 10 months old when they'd only been out of Hogwarts for about five months now. His companions also seemed to be wondering this as they all stared at Scorpius.

It was the weasel that broke the awkward silence. “Does anyone else find it a bit creepy that that baby looks a lot like Malfoy?”

Draco couldn't help but curl around his son a bit as if to protect him from harm. He also stepped back and turned slightly away so that Scorpius would be a harder target to hit – not that he thought any of them would try to hex a  _baby_ .

“Relax, Malfoy,” Harry said in an attempt to diffuse the sudden tension. “We're not going to hurt you. Either of you.”

Draco could only take this as his permission to speak for a minute. He had to take the opportunity while he could. Even so, it was unexpectedly embarrassing to say out loud!

“Did, er... Did you happen, to...” Draco took a deep breath, frustrated by his very uncharacteristic inability to speak. “Did you happen to somehow get exposed to a potion,” Draco blurted out in an attempt to get it all out before he lost his nerve. “An illegal potion that made you forget an entire night... at some point toward the end of sixth year?”

Hermione Granger gasped, sounding a lot like she had just put two and two together. “ _Harry!_ ”

Harry looked at her curiously, his expression slowly changing to a look of understanding. Possibly. Draco wasn't quite sure if he was understanding everything, or just the part where Draco might be right about the night.

Ron looked suspicious, Ginny looked confused, Hermione looked at Scorpius as if he had just unlocked all of the mysteries of the universe, and Harry looked thoughtful. If Draco had to guess based off of Hermione's reactions alone, he'd say that he was probably right. Of course, Harry had to be obtuse.

“Well, yes. How did you know that?” Harry asked with a frown.

“I didn't, it's just that as a prefect, I knew such a potion was going around,” Draco began the explanation, wondering how long Harry would bother to listen before just deciding to leave. “I also woke up after a night I have no memory of – at all. The fact that my son here – the result of that night – has green eyes and wild hair made me wonder if...”

“Oh my God!” Harry exclaimed in disbelief. This suggested that it was at least possible.

Hermione stepped forward. “Mal – er – Draco, may I please hold him? I promise not to hurt him in any way.”

It took everything he had to trust her – which they could read on his face – but he decided that it was probably for the best. He slowly handed Scorpius to Hermione, who examined him quite thoroughly. As for Scorpius, he promptly grabbed a fistful of her hair and tried to put it in his mouth.

She smiled at him and gently pried her hair free. “Harry, he really does look like you.” 

Ron finally thought to close his gaping mouth. “You mean to say that  _that night_ that Harry came back to the dorm looking like he had just survived five rounds with a succubus, he was actually – er...  _creating_ a baby with  _Malfoy?!_ ”

“Looks like,” Hermione murmured. She shifted Scorpius so that Harry, Ron, and Ginny could get a better look at his face.

Draco stroked his chin in thought and looked to the sky with a slight smirk. “Five rounds with a succubus...” he murmured softly. This description pleased him. “That's rather how I appeared when I looked in the mirror the next morning as well.”

Harry cleared his throat. “I wrote myself a letter, falling asleep after only a few sentences, but I wrote that,  _well_ ... I had accidentally been exposed to a potion that was the wizarding world equivalent of a roofie.”

“Which is a muggle drug to make a person relaxed and complaint and also damages their memory so they don't know what happened when they wake up in the morning,” Hermione explained, knowing that Draco probably didn't know what the muggle term meant.

“And anyway,” Harry continued. “Even though it happened to me, and it happened to you – around roughly the same time – how can we possibly know that it actually happened _between us_ , and that this baby is, well, mine?”

“Can Harry hold Scorpius a moment?” Hermione asked, not wanting to anger Draco by not asking for permission.

Draco cautiously nodded, his eyes sharp as they watched Harry. Hermione gave the baby to Harry, and then slowly took out her wand as she held up one hand to reassure Draco that she intended no harm. Since she was pointing her wand at Harry rather than his son, Draco let her cast a spell.

No one recognized the spell, but it had the effect of making both Harry and Scorpius light up in matching auras. 

“That confirms it,” Hermione stated with a tone of smug satisfaction, as if she had just repealed an unfair law in the Wizengamot.

“It does?” Harry asked, sounding both surprised and confused.

“I just performed a paternity test spell, and since you match, it means that this is your son too,” Hermione announced.

“And why do you even know that spell?” Ron asked in a mutter.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. “Why do you think? I read it in a book of diagnostic spells. Of course, I was looking for a spell to tell me when I was ovulating and needed to avoid se – er, anyway! I read the spell. Does it really matter?” She sounded flustered by this point.

Harry chuckled even as Ron flushed at the implication.

Draco took a deep breath. “As I said earlier; can I talk to you for one minute?”

Harry gave him a probing look. “I think it's going to take a bit longer than a minute.” He then gestured for his friends to not follow them before inviting Draco to accompany him for a walk. When they were more or less alone, Harry tried on a smile. “So... tell me what happened.”

With a tentative smile in return, Draco did.

 


End file.
